Heat pumps in Delaware

Delaware is 11th in the country at 21.6% of homes, and it has the largest secondary-heat gap outside New England — a further 2.5% run a mini-split beside their main system. For a state you can drive across in an hour, that is a lot of homes hedging their bets.

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DE

Heat pump adoption

EIA RECS 2020 microdata ↗

21.6% of Delaware homes use a heat pump as their main heat

Goal: every home

Central heat pumps and ductless mini-splits combined, counted as the home's main heating equipment. A further 2.5% of Delaware homes run a mini-split as secondary heat alongside electric resistance.

Episodes

Recorded in Delaware

Homeowners and contractors in DE, in their own words.

Money and next steps

What Delaware pays toward one

  • Energize Delaware

    An independent nonprofit funded by ratepayers and state programmes. Heat pump rebates, home energy assessments and low-interest loans, with larger amounts for income-qualified households.

    Program details →

  • Federal Home Energy Rebates

    The IRA rebate programs (HEAR and HOMES) survived the 2025 tax changes — they were grants to states, not tax credits. Each state runs its own, and they are at different stages: some open, some already out of money, some yet to launch. Check where Delaware stands before you count on it.

    Program details →

The federal 25C tax credit — 30% back, up to $2,000 on a heat pump — ended for systems placed in service after 31 December 2025. If you had one installed in 2025 or earlier you can still claim it; there is no successor credit. Incentives move fast, so check DSIRE for what is current in Delaware. Last checked September 2026.

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The numbers

What a heat pump here has to cover

  • 26°F

    Coldest month average low

    Wilmington · NOAA 1991–2020 normals

  • 87°F

    Warmest month average high

    Wilmington · NOAA 1991–2020 normals

Coldest month, average low Warmest month, average high

Cold-climate heat pumps are rated to hold full output well below zero. The question here is not whether one works, it is whether yours was sized and installed for the coldest night of the year rather than the average one.